WWE SmackDown Officially Moving Back To Three Hours

It was reported last month that Friday Night SmackDown was set to move back to three hours. This came after it was revealed that the USA Network were happy with SmackDown’s viewership during its three-hour runtime earlier this year, though the runtime was only a temporary one up until June 2025 when it switched back to two hours, remaining that way ever since. It has now been officially confirmed that this move to three hours is happening, and it is happening very soon. 

On commentary during last night’s December 12 edition of the show, Michael Cole and Corey Graves made the announcement that SmackDown would be three hours again from the upcoming January 2 episode in a few weeks time, which airs out of Buffalo, New York at the Keyspan Arena. 

It is believed that SmackDown’s impending move to three hours will once again be a temporary measure, with another six or seven month spell expected before reverting back to two hours. Several months back it was reported that those in WWE much preferred the short runtime of the show.